The Religious Philosophy of the Jews

Samuel Hirsch, born in Thalfang, Germany, was a major figure in Reform Judaism. In 1838, he served as a rabbi in Dessau, Germany, but was forced to resign in 1841 because of his radical stances. In 1843, he was appointed as Luxembourg’s chief rabbi, a position he resigned in 1866 to become rabbi of Congregation Keneseth Israel in Philadelphia; there he advocated observing the Jewish day of rest on Sundays. He served as president of the first Conference of American Reform Rabbis; in that capacity he influenced the movement’s famous Pittsburgh Platform of 1885.